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Lucy Scarborough is seventeen when she discovers that the women of her family have been cursed through the generations, forced to attempt three seemingly impossible tasks or to fall into madness upon their child’s birth. How can Lucy succeed when all of her ancestors have tried and failed? But Lucy is the first girl who won’t be alone as she tackles the list. She has her fiercely protective foster parents beside her. And she has Zach, whose strength amazes her more each day. Do they have enough love and resolve to overcome an age-old evil?Inspired by the ballad “Scarborough Fair,” this spellbinding novel combines suspense, fantasy, and romance for an intense and masterfully original tale. “Werlin reinforces her reputation as a master of the YA thriller...brilliant.” – Booklist starred review on The Rules of Survival“Mesmerizing.” – Publishers Weekly starred review on Double Helix

NANCY WERLIN was born in Massachusetts, where she still lives. In writing for teenagers, she always strives to combine the emotional intensity of a coming-of-age story with the page-turning tension of a suspense thriller. Nancy’s books have won numerous awards and accolades, including the Edgar award for The Killer’s Cousin, which was ...

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Reviews

Rated 5 out of
5 by
love_story_junkie from
contemporary fairy taleSurprisingly good. Sort of a modern fairy tale - contemporary setting with fantasy aspects (fantasy elements make the story feel special and magical like a classic fairy tale, not over the top silly like they could). A unique love story, pure and sweet and timeless feeling.

Date published: 2011-10-20

Rated 5 out of
5 by
Bernice_Cameron from
impossiblei love magic and this was about teen pregnancy plues family with a twist of magic in it witch was awsome she was young and raped then pregnant at the age of 18 beacuse of it fell in love wondeful book

Date published: 2011-05-23

Rated 3 out of
5 by
Camilla from
Very Strange, but Still Good.This was defiantly an odd book, but I still liked it. The plot was very unique, and quite haunting. It was written so well, and it had me captivated right until the end. As the story progressed it got stranger and very unpredictable, but in the end I still liked it. The mystery was great, and the characters were very likeable. I had high expectations for the book because there are a bunch of quotes from different sources saying how brilliant it was. I mean, the idea was brilliant, but it was so weird, in a good way I guess.. The author wrote it so well, and it left me wondering what would happen in the end every second. I can't say I really liked it, but just can't say I liked it...I'm just stuck in the middle! I'm glad I read it though, because the whole idea is very interesting... Lucy is your average seventeen year old...well not really. She's an athlete, spends time with her best friend, and lives with her foster parents, who she loves dearly. Her mother went insane, and Lucy only sees her when she decides to pop up. She used to be normal, until she gave birth to Lucy, she went mad and left Lucy to be taken care of two of greatest friends, Lucy's foster parents. Lucy goes days without seeing her mother, but when she does she's pushing a shopping cart and humming the song passed down from generations, Scarborough Fair. Lucy comes to learn that the song has a hidden meaning that she needs to discover... It's prom night, and Lucy is excited to go out with a cute guy named Gray. On top of that, her best friend, Zach decides to live with them during the summer until he has to go back to college. What seemed like the perfect night turns in the wrong direction, Lucy's mother shows up, Gray shows his true colours and a new man who works with Lucy's foster mother, gives her a strange feeling. Weeks pass, and everything turns out for the worst. Lucy is put on one huge emotional rollarcoaster ride as she has to dig into her family's history, and learns about the deadly curse that is set on her ancestors..including her. Lucy will need more help than ever, good thing she has her loving family, and protective friends, Sarah and Zach. This story has you captivated with the haunting mystery, unpredictable romance, and the character's hope and dedication. Lucy must lift the deadly curse before it's too late... This was a good book that I enjoyed. There were a lot of surprising twists and turns that made this book very hard to put down. Overall, a good haunting mystery that leaves you oddly surprised in the end. 2010-015

Date published: 2010-02-22

Rated 5 out of
5 by
A from
amazing, yet strangeThis book is easily the strangest book I've read in a while. The characters are so vivid, I had to stay up all night with them. You feel like you know them. all throught the book I was chanting "Don't let her die. Dont let her die..." Amazing. Don't question it, just read it!